The Right Time for Everything

According to several new studies, timing really is everything when it comes to your daily routine. From when to chow down if you want to lose weight to the exact moment to dream up clever ideas, reset your clock according to these rules...and watch the benefits start rolling in.

Hit the Gym: Before Work

Hit the Gym: Before Work

It definitely seems easier to hit the snooze button than the gym in the morning, but new research suggests that people who put off their workout until after work are likely to not exercise at all.

According to the McMaster University study, the brainpower we use up during a crazy day at work makes us lose the will to do anything else — including exercise. But when we get physical before work, it literally wakes up our brain and helps us focus, says Holly Phillips, MD, an internist in New York City. The invigorating results last all day.

Sip a Cocktail: 5 to 7 p.m.

Sip a Cocktail: 5 to 7 p.m.

Ever notice how you wake up at 5 a.m. after a night of partying, only to fall back asleep for hours and still wake up feeling exhausted? Throwing back a few cocktails late at night may seem like an awesome idea at the time, but drinking a few hours before bed can leave with you more than a hangover — it can seriously screw up the quality of your sleep, according to a study conducted by Kent State University and the University of Tennessee. In the study, researchers gave alcohol to hamsters and found that the ones who boozed had poor sleep patterns and were sluggish for up to 24 hours after their last drink.

Alcohol is a sedative that can help you doze off, but when the effect wears off during the night, it can actually prevent you from getting a deep sleep since your body is working hard to metabolize what you drank, explains Dr. Phillips. If you know you need a good night's sleep but don't want to miss out on the fun, hit up a happy hour — most go from 5 to 7 p.m. — to give your body enough time to process the alcohol before you catch your ZZZs. The earlier you have the alcohol out of your system, the better your beauty sleep will be.